Recordings were made of the electrical activity of neurons in the subpallidal area of urethane-anesthetized rats. Output neurons from the subpallidal area to the pedunculopontine nucleus were identified by antidromic activation. The inputs to subpallidal neurons to single-pulse stimulation of the amygdala and hippocampus were investigated. More than two-thirds of the subpallidal neurons antidromically activated by pedunculopontine stimulation were inhibited by hippocampal stimulation and activated by amygdala stimulation. Subpallidal neurons not antidromically activated by pedunculopontine stimulation also responded to stimulation of the amygdala and hippocampus but no differential effects were observed. The relation of these findings to limbic influences on locomotor activity is discussed.